Jordan Needs Some Time To Chill

My heart ached for Michael Jordan when his father was brutally murdered in July. Several weeks later, I felt his pain even more when I lost my Dad to cancer.

That's why I believe that James Jordan's death had more to do with his son's retirement from professional basketball last week than he'll admit.

Michael Jordan is still coming to grips with the unexpected loss of his Dad. Dunking a basketball pales in comparison.

He has lost the desire to play professional basketball and he's tired of his celebrity status. Who can blame him? He's stepping back not so much from the sport itself, but from the white-hot spotlight that comes with being "Air" Jordan, the greatest basketball player of his time. Despite the brave and self-assured front, Michael Jordan is hurting. Trust me.

Since the night of Aug. 29, every morning without fail I wake up thinking about my Dad who left us too early at age 61. But, unlike Michael Jordan, I was able to brace myself, to some degree, for my Dad's death. Last December, he was diagnosed with cancer. It was terminal.

I visited and talked often with my father in the final months. But when he died in our arms that fateful Sunday night I was devastated and numb.

I still am.

Work, for me, has become a diversion, a positive distraction from the pain. Michael Jordan must have had a much tougher time coping.

Not only did Jordan not see his father for weeks before he died, but James Jordan, 56, died violently and viciously. He apparently was a victim of a random robbery and shooting. A bullet was pumped into his chest, and his body dumped in a North Carolina swamp.

And because no one initially claimed James Jordan's body, it was cremated. So, Michael Jordan and his family couldn't view the body one last time. There would be no tearful goodbyes.

Under those circumstances, I'm not sure I could continue

working either.

In his grieving, Jordan also must have felt a sense of guilt -- even if it was misdirected -- wondering if his celebrity and wealth somehow contributed to his Dad's slaying. Was his father, who was driving a luxury Lexus 400, with vanity license plates honoring his son, an easy target? Surely that question haunts Michael Jordan.

The way I deal with my loss is fairly simple: Stay busy. Throw myself into my work and hope that time will heal the hurt. For Michael Jordan, it's not that easy. Work for him is NBA basketball.

It wasn't only a game he loved, but a great escape for dealing with his troubles, whether they were gambling charges or the publicity surrounding an unflattering book.

But basketball this time could not be Jordan's elixir. Many of the most memorable moments he shared with his father -- three world championships, Olympic gold medals and Most Valuable Player trophies -- were connected to basketball.

Playing this year would be a constant reminder and a terrible distraction. Every road trip would bring repeated questions about how he was coping.

The trial of the two young men accused of killing his Dad would seem like it was going on forever. Jordan didn't need the reminders. It was easier to retire or, at the very least, take a respite.

There's a wife and children to care for, a mother and siblings to support. With the money he has made, there will be no need to wait by the mailbox for a monthly pension check. He's too young, anyway.

What Jordan needs now is a chance to chill, to reflect and be away from the daily scrutiny of being a superstar. If Jordan decides to play professionally again -- and there's a good chance he will -- it will be because he has come to terms with his grief.

Rest assured, whatever decision he makes will be based on what he thinks his Dad would have told him to do.